What does "artistic" mean?

1. (creative skill) having or showing a natural ability to create art, like painting or music. 2. (relating to art) connected to art or the way artists work. 3. (beautiful or pleasing) looking beautiful or arranged in a way that is pleasing to see. 4. (in an artistic way) doing something in a creative or beautiful style.

How do you use "artistic"?

Used as an adverb modifying a verb, though 'artistically' is the standard form in formal writing.

artistic

adj. · adv.

US //ɑɹˈtɪstɪk// UK //ɑːtˈɪstɪk// artis·tic

1 creative skill (adj.)
B1 Intermediate

having or showing a natural ability to create art, like painting or music.

possessing or displaying creative skill and imagination in the production of aesthetic works.

Example

My sister is very artistic and spends all her free time drawing in her notebook.

Example

The director's artistic vision transformed a simple script into a visually stunning masterpiece that captivated the critics.
- unimaginative
- untalented
2 relating to art (adj.)
B1 Intermediate

connected to art or the way artists work.

relating to or characteristic of art, artists, or the study of the arts.

Example

The city is famous for its artistic history and many galleries.

Example

The university offers several artistic programmes, ranging from classical sculpture to modern digital media design.
- aesthetic
- stylistic

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3 beautiful or pleasing (adj.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

looking beautiful or arranged in a way that is pleasing to see.

aesthetically pleasing or harmonious in arrangement and appearance.

Example

She arranged the fruit in an artistic way on the large glass plate.

Example

The interior designer focused on the artistic placement of furniture to maximise both light and flow within the apartment.
- ugly
- unattractive
4 in an artistic way (adv.)
C1 Advanced Informal Dialect

doing something in a creative or beautiful style.

functioning as a nonstandard variant of 'artistically' to describe the manner in which an action is performed.

Example

The chef plated the dessert quite artistic, using colorful sauces to decorate the plate.

Example

Though he lacked formal training, he could paint quite artistic when he was inspired by the local landscape.

Usage

Used as an adverb modifying a verb, though 'artistically' is the standard form in formal writing.
- artistically

Origin

Borrowed from French artistique, from artiste + -ique. By surface analysis, artist + -ic.